Hello I just now started intermittent fasting can drink alcohol while doing this fasting ?

Answers

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,168 Member
    Are you asking whether drinking it during your fasting period breaks your fast, or are you asking whether you can drink it at all (during your eating window) if your strategy is IF?

    If the latter, I guess I'd ask why you've chosen IF as your strategy. If it's to optimize your health, then . . . well, alcohol is a poison, just one with kind of enjoyable side effects. If trying to optimize health, don't consume alcohol: That seems to be the emerging expert consensus . . . and it's also IMO common sense.

    I do drink alcohol in moderation, nonetheless. I drank some during weight loss, and slightly more now that I'm in long-term maintenance and have more calories in play. I haven't seen any effect on weight loss (or maintenance) as long as I account for the calories in it. I do put a priority on getting good overall nutrition before spending calories on alcohol, and I do realize that drinking it is enjoyable to me but not health-promoting.

    I'm not sure that the effect on weight would be the same if alcohol consumption were excessive to the point of driving out essential nutrition, because I don't do that.

    If your only goal is weight loss/weight management, then what I'd suggest you do, if you want to consume some alcohol, is to keep it moderate and get good nutrition before spending calories on alcohol.

    Since I don't IF, I don't have authoritative advice about whether it breaks your fast . . . but what I've seen others say is that anything with calories breaks your fast, and alcohol does have calories. Specifically, pure alcohol has about 7 calories per gram, and the alcohol is not carbs, fats or protein but its own calorie-containing thing. Many drinks with alcohol do have macronutrient content, though, usually carbs, but it can be anything depending on the drink.

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